


Happy Ending

by MaxCassius



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-10-31 11:03:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10898013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxCassius/pseuds/MaxCassius
Summary: An AU exploration into each of the chocobros finding their own special happy ending.





	1. Darkness Falls

Chapter One: Darkness Falls

 

Hypnotically pink eyes squinted uncertainly in the rear view mirror as Serene examined a pair of headlights fast approaching in the darkness behind her brother’s car. There was and had been no one else on the road for quite some time; aside from the occasional daemon roaring to life on the side of the lonely country road as they passed, this was the first sign of life the siblings had seen at all since night had fallen.

Which would be fine and dandy… Except this car was speeding toward them at a rate the jalopy they were driving could never even dream of.

“Uhh… Tranq? You see that nutjob, right?”

“Unfortunately. More importantly, do you see what’s coming behind them?” Tranquil’s voice was uncharacteristically tense. Pale brow furrowing, Serene twisted around in her seat to get a better look at the scene behind them. The first thing that struck her was the red glow that tinged the sky and washed over the asphalt beneath the speeding car.

And then she picked the beast casting the fiery glow from the night around it.

“Shit.”

It was a hulking iron giant, gaining ground with its massive strides as it charged on the car that was much more quickly coming upon the siblings. A sword bigger than both vehicles combined, aflame with hellfire, swung menacingly in the air.

Unless they figured out a way to lose it, it was going to be on top of them. A thought that became Serene’s primary concern as, even as her brother made to pull their car to the side, the sleek royal purple city car clipped theirs. Hard. With an incoherent noise from Tranquil as he tried to keep control, the car skidded through another purple and black ethereal cloud as another demon began to manifest.

Through the cloud the car skidded, slamming straight into the face of a rock wall.

The impact was horrific. Serene was thrown hard into the door, only just managing to keep her head from whipping into the jagged stone that bit into the side of the car and shattered the frame like a can in a compactor.

Shit.

Tranquil was thrown sideways over the console into his sister, face drawn and partially obscured by blood that poured from a jagged gash across his forehead, presumably from the windshield when it shattered, but he was already twisting his arm around to the gap that was left between the front seats to scrabble for the sword he had stored on the back floorboards. Furiously blinking the dust out of her eyes, Serene punched the dashboard, knocking loose the crumpled glove compartment to reveal her sleek double pistols.

It was on. First the daemons, and then the assholes that had wrecked them and gotten them into this mess in the first place.

Snatching up the guns, Serene shoved her brother sideways, out through the shattered driver’s side window; arching her body and launching herself out feet first with a powerful thrust of her shoulders, hitting the dirt and sinking into a crouch as Tranquil rolled to the side, taking out the hamstring – or the daemon equivalent – of the nearest giant with a sweep of his blade, sending the monster to one knee before Serene, where she raised both guns to the gap beneath its helmet and unloaded a volley of rounds.

She didn’t cease until her gun clicked to empty and a swirl of smoke and embers poured forth as the hulking beast sank to its knees, disintegrating entirely in a cloud of sparks before the lifeless, soulless, body hit the ground, leaving behind nothing more than a patch of singed earth.

Score one for her; zero for the daemons.

Rising from her braced kneel, Serene glanced past Tranq to check the status of the other daemon, to find that it had been dealt with as handily, felled under the weapons of the four men that had emerged from the other car that had managed to keep to the road.

Lucky them. Serene thought bitterly. Seeing no more of the purple shimmer that would indicate forming daemons anywhere on the horizon, she let her attention turn to the next issue at hand. The men that had run her and her brother off the road.

Turning sharply toward the foursome on the road; unintimidated by their relative size, Serene threw up her hands, guns dangling from her fingers in her frustration. All four were fit; career hunters, soldiers… Whatever they were, it wouldn’t save them now. “What the fuck? What, you didn’t see our taillights? There are no other cars on the road, and you couldn’t take a swerve to leave us out of your problem?”

“Like you couldn’t pull over,” As the groups approached each other under the streetlights, the features of the four men came into view. Most of them were meaningless to her; handsome, certainly, but just… Just dudes. The fourth man, however, the one on point in their group… The unruly black hair, cerulean eyes, pale, flawless skin… It was the crown prince of Lucis, Noctis Lucis Caelum. It was he who had spoken, his voice a dark, rough velvet.

Color her unimpressed.

“Our car is wrecked. How the hell do you expect us to get back to the closest settlement, walk? In the middle of the night? Just the two of us?”

“Serene–”

“No, Tranq.” Serene snapped back, her head whipping to the side to address her brother. “I will not calm down. We are fucked out here without our car, and what? Are we supposed to just be like ‘oh sure, prince, we understand, we’ll figure it out’?”

“Look,” the next to speak, a man that stood immediately to the left of the prince, tawny brown hair styled up in an immaculate coif. Moss green eyes were calm and yet cautious behind slim glasses, his lilting accent slow and soothing as he was clearly maneuvering his way in to try to defuse the situation. “The important thing is that we’re all uninjured; correct? We can give you a lift to the nearest haven, tend to your wounds, and in the morning in the safety of the sunlight, we can escort you back to Hammerhead.”

Serene’s sharp eyes slid over to him. “And I suppose that means you’re gonna pay to get us a new ride, too?”

Noctis grunted, in tune with the scarred, brunette barbarian that loomed behind him, who shifted to cross his arms across the body that even Serene had to admit was sculpted like that of a marble deity. To contrast, the freckled blond to the prince’s right seemed contrite, almost uncomfortable under Serene’s fury. His head bowed, he scratched at the nape of his neck with a gloved hand. The man with the glasses, however, was unshaken, and seemed to be the man with the plan, here.

“If that’s what it takes to make this right, then if we can, yes.”

Next to his sister, Tranq seemed almost as uncomfortable as the blond. “You really don’t have to, it’s not like it was intentio–”

“Actually, yes, they do, Tranq. We’ll be taking you up on that.” Serene finally shoved her guns back into their holsters on her hips. “Don’t listen to my brother. He’s got a head injury. Clearly needs attention; can’t be thinking straight.” Her mouth thinning into a line, Serene brushed a strand of ghostly white hair back behind her ear and took the final step toward the bespectacled man. She stuck her hand out to him. “I’m Serene. This is my brother, Tranquil. And I’m gonna hold you to that promise, mister…?”

“Ignis Scientia,” the man took the half step to properly take her hand in his palm, his grip steady and sure as he shook her hand. “And my friends; Prince Noctis you may be familiar with, and back there is Gladiolus Amicitia and Prompto Argentum; we’re his Crownsguard.”

A heavy sigh escaped the prince as he shrugged his shoulders dramatically. “Well, if we’re gonna do this, how about we get going before more daemons start turning up?”

“Fair point,” Ignis agreed sharply, turning back toward their car as he adjusted his cuffs. “However, this time, I will be driving, Noct.”


	2. Daemons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand a little more development; I swear I'm getting somewhere interesting with this. :"D

Chapter Two: Daemons

 

“So, you guys are hunters?” Prompto was twisted around in his seat in the Regalia, forearms dangling over the headrest as he made the effort to engage the passengers that were squeezed into the backseat in between Noctis and Gladio.

And, indeed, squeezed they were. As with most sports cars, the Regalia wasn’t the spaciest, and Gladiolus was a big guy. Noctis was turned to the side, pressed against his door with an elbow braced on the side of the Regalia. Beside him, Serene had her arms crossed over her stomach, her right leg hooked over her brother’s as he made himself as small as possible between her and the hulking giant of a warrior beside him.

“Yeah, best way to make a living out here in the countryside. Help the settlers with their problem creatures and daemons, and get to eat out of the deal… It’s a pretty good arrangement, everyone benefits.” Tranquil offered with an amicable smile and a shrug of splayed hands.

“A thoughtful way to live. It is not a path many would take.” Ignis said from the driver’s seat, not lifting his eyes from the road.

“Is that your subtle, smart way of trying to figure out why we’ve decided to live like vagrants?” Serene interjected ‘cheerfully’, causing her brother to pinch his nose in his stressed embarrassment.

“Apologies,” Ignis admitted with a surprising amount of ease and grace. He didn’t seem abashed in being called on his behavior in the slightest. “It’s part of my job to be suspicious, I have to be cautious who I allow close to the Prince.”

Taken off guard by the advisor’s candor, Serene sank back into her seat a little bit, blinking as she had to rethink the snarky reply that she’d had ready should he try to deny it. “Uh… Yeah, I guess I can see that.”

From his corner, Noctis snorted his amusement. “Yeah, ‘cause a couple of Empire assassins are gonna let us take ‘em off the road and almost smash ‘em against a rock wall. Real embarrassing end that would have been.”

“One can never be too careful,” Ignis replied loftily.

“Well if this attempt at psychoanalysis is over,” This time, Serene’s voice just sounded tired as she dropped her hands to her knees. “Tell me we’re close to this haven. The whiplash isn’t appreciating the sitting up or the quality of this road.”

“We’re close! We’re just backtracking to the one we camped at before we ran into you guys.” Prompto replied, settling back into his proper position in his seat.

“We’ll spend the night there, and come morning, it will only be a couple hours’ drive to Hammerhead.” Ignis finished.

And the advisor was true to his word. Stopping at a haven that capped a hill overlooking the valley below, where they could still see the faint glow of the dying smolder of the crashed car below. Prompto and Gladio immediately set about setting up a sturdy tent, and Ignis, behind them, began to dig through their supplies to make the enlarged group dinner.

After a hearty and skillfully made stew and some prolonged, awkward silences, the groups went their separate ways to sleep away what was left of the night; the prince and his entourage went into the tent, Serene and Tranq made themselves comfortable in the Regalia, Serene in the back, Tranq in the reclined passenger seat.

All in all, even Serene had to admit, this day could have had a much worse end, and as she laid there in the backseat, with the velvety blanket of stars vaulting overhead and the sapphire glow of the haven’s runes all around them, she couldn’t help but feel a little bad for how she had reacted to the boys earlier. Gladio, while certainly some of the most pleasant eye candy she had encountered in some time, may have been a little rough around the edges, but overall, all four had actually been very patient and accommodating to her brother and herself. And they were genuinely helping them get out of the middle of nowhere…

Maybe, come morning, she had some apologies to make.

Morning came a little sooner than she expected.

At the first blossom of morning light in the sky warming her eyelids, there was the soft sizzle of food on the small travel stove top and the clinking of cookware.

By the Six…?

Clumsily sitting up, Serene raked a hand through her pale hair to pull it back from her face, peering over the lowered top of the convertible to see, once more, Ignis, fully dressed and put together and making a dance out of making his way around the little makeshift camping kitchen to make breakfast.

How much rest did this man allow himself? Rubbing her eyes, Serene quietly slipped out of the back of the Regalia and made her way, silent on bare feet, across the haven to Ignis.

“’Morning, advisor,”

“Good morning.” Ignis replied in a chipper, if dignified tone, barely pausing in the preparation of the scrambled egg breakfast he was working on. “But, please, call me Ignis. There is no need for such… Distance. There is no particular reason we can’t give being friends a chance, correct?”

Serene rubbed her arm and offered a crooked, self depreciating smile. This man was so patient, how was he real? Was he like this all the time? How? “If you still want to try and be my friend after how snappy I’ve been at you guys, I’m game for it. I swear I’m not always like that.”

“A special occasion.” Ignis agreed with a knowing look. “I understand, it has been quite the harrowing experience. A little sleep and a good meal tends to do wonders for that kind of stress, wouldn’t you say?”

She wasn’t sure when he had done it, but in moments, he had approached her and placed a warm cup in her hands, steaming lightly against the cool of the morning. A fresh green tea, by the look of it. “Let me know if you would like it sweetened, I believe we have a jar of honey in our supplies.”

Serene curled her hands around her cup and blew softly on the shimmering liquid inside, a hesitant smile on her lips. “No, thank you, this is okay. Do you always cook for these guys?”

“Most of the time. They would starve or drop in battle, victims of malnutrition if I didn’t. Though Noct is a capable cook, when he wants to be, Prompto is… Not anyone’s first choice of chef, and Gladio… If it isn’t roasted over a fire or in a styrofoam cup, he doesn’t have the time to learn how to deal with it. Fortunately for them, I enjoy it.” As he spoke, once more he began to dole out portions onto six disposable plates.

“That’s our Iggy,” Prompto agreed, emerging from the tent with a yawn and a lithe stretch. “The mom of our little ragtag team.”

“Mum’s the word,” Ignis replied smoothly, barely even turning to hand Prompto his food. “Now, after Gladio and your brother join us, we can get together and wake our sleepyhead prince and see about finishing this trip to Hammerhead, hmm?”

“Not it,” Prompto shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth and left the scene of what was clearly, from his experience, an impending task. “I woke him up last time. Someone else’s turn for that one, I’ll pack up the car.”

Sipping her tea, Serene felt her eyebrows disappear into her bangs. She was used to guys that liked their sleep; her brother did certainly enjoy a nice little sleep in and wasn’t the quickest to wake. How hard was Noctis to get out of bed, if his friends thought of waking him up as drawing the short straw…?


End file.
